Recent news

4 results for Long-term Illness

Ministers have concluded that an overhaul is required on the way dying patients are cared for.

The government has told hospitals to review their current practices in the way patients at the end of their lives are treated, and announced that the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) is to be phased out.

This announcement comes after an independent report concluded that the LCP was being misused (the pathway can involve the withdrawal of treatment, food and liquid).

Instead, individual end-of-life care plans are to be introduced within a year. These plans are set to be tailored to each individual, taking different conditions into account.

The LCP was criticised for becoming a ‘tick-box’ exercise, which failed to take the individual and their circumstances into account. The Care Quality Commission (which regulates hospitals) has been told to make end-of-life care a priority when it comes to inspection regimes.

A recent report has revealed that survivors of stroke and their families feel overwhelmed at having to cope with the psychological consequences alone after leaving hospital.

A stroke is the sudden loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain – this could be due to a blockage or a hemorrhage. The resulting symptoms can leave the sufferer paralysed on one side of their body, unable to speak and/or blind on one side of their visual field.

According to a report entitled ‘Feeling Overwhelmed’ (published by the Stroke Association), stroke sufferers are finding it difficult to cope with the emotional and mental impact a stroke incurs.

The Stroke Association said over half of the survivors surveyed experienced depression and two thirds experienced anxiety. On top of this many admitted to a lack of confidence and fear of a recurrent stroke. These issues are also affecting carers of stroke survivors, with...

Love Productions is making a primetime Channel 4 series about people who are living with a terminal diagnosis and have a short time left to live. The aim of the series is to present the subject of death in an open and honest way and to explore how we as a society approach death culturally, practically, and spiritually in Britain today.

Love Productions is currently in talks with various palliative care organisations and specialists, in the hope that the series will be of some therapeutic value to both those individuals who are preparing to die and to those who are facing impending bereavement.

The production company is also looking for individuals who would be willing to take part in the series, who might just have a year or less to live. What is it really like to face death? What becomes important? What becomes insignificant? Do people treat you differently? How has it affected you and your family? Are there any dreams you wish to fulfill?

Jack Osbourne recently revealed to the world that he has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), an incurable neurological condition that causes damage to the central nervous system.

Whilst of course this is devastating news for Jack and his family, MS experts are hoping that the increased interest surrounding the high profile celebrity and his condition will raise awareness and flout common misconceptions surrounding the illness.

Pam Macfarlane who works for the MS Trust told The Independent that since Jacks diagnosis, many individuals have been commenting on how young he is. “Actually, he’s probably about the average age of someone to be diagnosed but there’s this general impression that it’s something old people have,” she explained.

Age is just one of the numerous misconceptions surrounding MS, and so Jack speaking out about it is extremely valuable to those with MS. If the public become interested in what having MS means...